Hearing the Falconer #37 ~ 29-Apr-2019 ~ Moderate Environmental Regulations

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world....
from The Second Coming, William Butler Yeats, 1919

The middle of the road is all of the usable surface.
The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

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29-April-2019: Being Moderate with Environmental Regulations
In Defense of Environmental Regulations
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For a moderate, the position that we should have NO environmental regulations at all is too extreme in one direction. On the other hand, having regulations that are too costly, limit freedoms too much, and don't really do any good anyway, would be too extreme in the other direction.

The moderate approach to environmental regulations is to:

1. Define the problem that needs to be solved.
2. Propose a policy that might solve the problem, or at least reduce the problem.
3. Evaluate how effective the proposed solution will be.
4. Consider the cost of the solution in actual dollars, lost economic growth, and restrictions on personal freedom.
5. Do a cost – benefit analysis.
6. Decide whether or not to implement the plan.

This might seem obvious but to many partisans it must not be. Because I still hear some conservatives opposing ALL environmental regulations and some liberals supporting ALL environmental regulations.

If you are always in favor of environmental regulations or always opposed to them, you are probably not a moderate.

The attached article discusses regulations in Pennsylvania and reminds us of the terrible Donora disaster where air pollution on a foggy day killed 19 people in one little town.

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The "Hearing the Falconer" Library

Books for Independent Thinkers

Truman

Moderates: The Vital Center of American Politics, from the Founding to Today

The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made It

Unapologetically Moderate: My Search for the Rational Center in American Politics

The Deliberate Moderate: Influencing From the Middle

Eisenhower: The White House Years

The Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison

Lincoln

Reflections of a Radical Moderate

Washington: A Life

The Reluctant Republican: My Fight for the Moderate Majority

Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life

Theodore Roosevelt: A Life

The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides

Beyond Red and Blue: How Twelve Political Philosophies Shape American Debates

***

Copyright © 2019 by Joseph Wayne Gadway

Hearing the Falconer #36 ~ 26-Apr-2019 ~ Julian Castro Running for President

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world....
from The Second Coming, William Butler Yeats, 1919

The middle of the road is all of the usable surface.
The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

**********
26-April-2019: A Blueprint for 21st Century Opportunity
Julian Castro Announces His Run for the White House
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On January 12, 2019, under a bright San Antonio sun, Julian Castro, the former mayor and Secretary of Housing and Urban development under Barack Obama announced that he is running for President.

Julian started his speech by praising and thanking the press and calling them a "friend of the truth." Kind of a refreshing change from the way we hear the free press maligned and bullied by the current occupant of the White House!

When he actually announces that he is running, Julian repeats the key lines in Spanish. It is also kind of nice to hear someone running for the highest office in the land who is knowledgeable enough to speak two languages well. This is another contrast to the current president who ALMOST speaks one language!

He holds out San Antonio, Texas as representative of America: diverse, fast-growing, optimistic.

The organizing THEME of Julian's speech comes when he calls for the United States to be the "smartest, healthiest, fairest, and the most prosperous nation on earth."

To make our country the SMARTEST Julian says we can't afford to waste a single person. He promises to launch a nationwide Pre-K program to get children off to a good start and also to make two year colleges more affordable.

To make our country the HEALTHIEST Julian calls for Medicare for all.

To make our country the FAIREST Julian spoke in praise of Black Lives Matter and also says "We have to have border security but there is a smart and a humane way to do it." He also promises to protect the Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.

To make our country the most PROSPEROUS Julian calls for raising the minimum wage, work for more affordable housing, and pass a New Green Deal that will protect the planet AND create great jobs.

Julian also stressed that he will work to overturn Citizens United and get big money out of politics.

One of his especially good lines I thought was "The American dream wasn't supposed to be JUST a dream."

Julian seems like a good candidate to me. In the crowded Democrat field he is one of my "Top 5." He is young and energetic, lays out a good program for America, and seems reasonably moderate.

Let's see how he does!

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The "Hearing the Falconer" Library

Books for Independent Thinkers

Truman

Moderates: The Vital Center of American Politics, from the Founding to Today

The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made It

Unapologetically Moderate: My Search for the Rational Center in American Politics

The Deliberate Moderate: Influencing From the Middle

Eisenhower: The White House Years

The Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison

Lincoln

Reflections of a Radical Moderate

Washington: A Life

The Reluctant Republican: My Fight for the Moderate Majority

Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life

Theodore Roosevelt: A Life

The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides

Beyond Red and Blue: How Twelve Political Philosophies Shape American Debates

***

Copyright © 2019 by Joseph Wayne Gadway

Hearing the Falconer #35 ~ 22-Apr-2019 ~ The Green New Deal: Part 8

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world....
from The Second Coming, William Butler Yeats, 1919

The middle of the road is all of the usable surface.
The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

**********
22-April-2019: The Green New Deal, Part 8
House Resolution 109: The Green New Deal
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From news reports I have gotten the impression the Green New Deal is too extreme. Let's take a look at it and find out for ourselves.

House Resolution 109 has the title “Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal.”

This resolution starts with 7 “Whereas's” and then moves into 4 “Resolved's.” Recently we looked at the second "Resolved." Now let's look at the third and fourth "Resolved's."

The third “Resolved” calls for the Green New Deal to be developed transparently and in partnership with many groups such as “frontline and vulnerable communities,” businesses, labor unions, and academia. I certainly agree with this. The more groups we involve in this initiative the more likely we will be to get the best ideas and the more likely we will be to succeed.

In the fourth resolved we get into some more details of the Green New Deal. For example: “ensuring that the Federal Government takes into account the complete environmental and social costs and impacts of emissions....”

This is important because it addresses a serious market failure that can threaten our society. If companies can produce profits in some way that results in dangerous emissions BUT the costs of dealing with the results of those emissions falls on someone else in society, or on the government, then the free market is not really working like it is supposed to. Free markets should select those activities that result in profits after ALL costs are accounted for. If profits are taken by one entity while losses are paid by another then we could end up rewarding people for doing things that are actually a net loss for society.

Here is another detail in the fourth “Resolved:” “providing resources, training, and high-quality education, including higher education, to all people of the United States....” This one will be a tough challenge but I think it is a worthy goal. We will have to figure out how to pay for providing higher education to everyone in the United States. This might be a case where we need to start slow and focus first on increasing opportunities rather than providing them to everyone overnight.

The fourth “Resolved” also calls for “making public investments in the research and development of new clean and renewable energy technologies and industries” and “directing investments to spur economic development....” I am a big believer in public investments and in encouraging investments that will drive growth. The devil is always in the details but I am in full agreement with the principle expressed here.

The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides

Here is another “Resolved” that might be tough: “guaranteeing a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security to all people of the United States....” This one might be tough, but, in a way, are we already doing part of this. When I was a boy my father was disabled and got a monthly check from the government through Social Security. We were poor but we had enough to live. So, if the government is already supplying the MONEY to people who need help why would it be impossible to also supply a JOB along with that money? I think we might be able to figure out a way to do that.

The last “Resolved” we will consider is “providing all people of the United States with - high-quality health care; affordable, safe, and adequate housing; economic security; and clean water, clean air, healthy and affordable food, and access to nature.” This is a beautiful dream. I would not promise the American people we can achieve this tomorrow, or next year, or even in the next decade, but I have no problem with it as a long term goal to keep us moving in the right direction.

In conclusion, as a political moderate, I think the Green New Deal sometimes goes too far where it seems to be promising things in the short term that we are unlikely to achieve. If we can change those promises to statements of the direction we want to move in over time then I find myself pretty much in agreement with the Green New Deal as, partly an expression of immediate goals, and partly an expression of long-range vision.

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The "Hearing the Falconer" Library

Books for Independent Thinkers

Truman

Moderates: The Vital Center of American Politics, from the Founding to Today

The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made It

Unapologetically Moderate: My Search for the Rational Center in American Politics

The Deliberate Moderate: Influencing From the Middle

Eisenhower: The White House Years

The Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison

Lincoln

Reflections of a Radical Moderate

Washington: A Life

The Reluctant Republican: My Fight for the Moderate Majority

Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life

Theodore Roosevelt: A Life

The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides

Beyond Red and Blue: How Twelve Political Philosophies Shape American Debates

***

Copyright © 2019 by Joseph Wayne Gadway

The Blue Zones: Secrets to Living a Long and Healthy Life

Wouldn't it be great to live a long and healthy life? I mean REALLY long! And REALLY healthy!

There are certain places in the world where lots of people live to 100 and beyond, and even better, many of those people remain healthy, and active, and independent, to the age of 100 and even beyond.

This great book identifies five of these wonderful places and tries to uncover their secrets.

Some of the keys seem to be plant-based diets, close families and communities, and plenty of outdoor exercise.

The five blue zones discussed in this book are:

• The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica,
• The island of Sardinia, Italy
• The island of Okinawa, Japan,
• The island of Ikaria, Greece
• Loma Linda, California

Most of these places I had not heard of before but I had heard about Loma Linda. Recently I was reminded of it by this Prudential ad on TV.
Long Lives in Loma Linda, California

People in Loma Linda, California live almost 10 years longer than other Americans, on average.

The ad does not say exactly WHY people live longer in Loma Linda, but here is what I heard years ago:

There is a big Seventh-day Adventist college, and hospital, and medical school in Loma Linda. Because of that there are LOTS of Seventh-day Adventists living in Loma Linda. And Seventh-day Adventists don't smoke, and don't drink, and, most of them, don't eat meat. That's the reason I heard WHY people in Loma Linda live longer!

I also remember an interview with a medical researcher I read years ago. The interviewer said "When will we have a cure for cancer." The scientist irritably said "We ALREADY have a cure for cancer. Don't smoke, don't drink, don't eat meat!"

Now if you love wine, don't despair. Loma Linda residents may not drink wine but apparently it is popular in the Blue Zones of Sardinia and Ikaria.

This should be a fascinating book about different places and people and cultures. And if it can also help us to live a longer and healthier life.... I'm buying my copy today.

And if you want to get started right away here is what one the subjects of this book has to say, “Eat your vegetables, have a positive outlook, be kind to people, and smile.”

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[If you want to learn how to live a long and healthy life that could help you stay active and independent to 100 and beyond, this is the book for you!]

[If you want to support "Anything Smart" just click on book links like the one below and the other ones throughout this blog to buy your books. "Anything Smart" will receive a commission. Thanks!]

***

Copyright © 2019 by Joseph Wayne Gadway

Hearing the Falconer #34 ~ 19-Apr-2019 ~ A Moderate Thinks About Taxes

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world....
from The Second Coming, William Butler Yeats, 1919

The middle of the road is all of the usable surface.
The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

**********
19-April-2019: How Should We Tax Ourselves?
Current Tax vs. Flat Tax vs. Fair Tax
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As a moderate I believe taxes should not be too high or too low. Obviously, the problem is figuring out what "too high" and "too low" actually mean.

But even if we figure that out we have to think about what KIND of tax plan to have. The article I link to here describes three different types of tax plans. Should we have a progressive plan like the one we have now? Should we have a flat tax? Should we have a fair tax?

I really don't know which is best but I could see a flat tax plan working. It might work if every individual and every company in the United States paid exactly the same percentage of tax on every form of income. It might work if there were no exceptions, no exemptions, and no loopholes.

There are some advantages to this scheme, for sure. First, it is simple! Second, it seems inherently fair to many people. Third, it will continually remind everyone exactly how much money the government is spending. Kind of important information in a representative government like ours.

We would still need government assistance programs for people struggling with poverty, unemployment, illness, or handicaps. We would also still assist people seeking higher education. But all these assistance programs should be run separately from our tax code. You pay your flat tax first and then, if you need help. you get it.

We could also have government rewards to encourage companies to hire more workers or to raise wages or to install pollution controls or to do other things that benefit society and are deserving of some reward. There could also be rewards to encourage individuals to buy homes or donate to charities or to contribute to retirement accounts or to do other things that benefit society and are deserving of some reward. But again, these rewards should be run separately from our tax code. You pay your flat tax first and then, if you have done something deserving of a reward, you get it.

I don't know for sure. I'm just brainstorming here. But maybe that could work.

**********

The "Hearing the Falconer" Library

Books for Independent Thinkers

Moderates: The Vital Center of American Politics, from the Founding to Today

The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made It

Unapologetically Moderate: My Search for the Rational Center in American Politics

The Deliberate Moderate: Influencing From the Middle

Eisenhower: The White House Years

The Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison

Lincoln

Reflections of a Radical Moderate

Washington: A Life

The Reluctant Republican: My Fight for the Moderate Majority

Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life

Theodore Roosevelt: A Life

The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides

Beyond Red and Blue: How Twelve Political Philosophies Shape American Debates

Truman

Hearing the Falconer #33 ~ 15-April-2019 - The Green New Deal: Part 7

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world....
from The Second Coming, William Butler Yeats, 1919

The middle of the road is all of the usable surface.
The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

**********
15-April-2019: The Green New Deal, Part 7
House Resolution 109: The Green New Deal
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From news reports I have gotten the impression the Green New Deal is too extreme. Let's take a look at it and find out for ourselves.

House Resolution 109 has the title “Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal.”

This resolution starts with 7 “Whereas's” and then moves into 4 “Resolved's.” Recently we looked at the first "Resolved." Now let's look at the second "Resolved."

The second "Resolved" starts getting into some of the more detailed plans and goals for the Green New Deal. This section calls for a 10-year national mobilization to achieve these goals. It is divided into 14 numbered items. We will just pull out a few of the high lights here.

Some of the items here are probably too extreme. For example, "meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources" and "upgrading all existing buildings in the United States and building new buildings to achieve maximum energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability."

It might be more realistic to say we will INCREASE the percentage of energy we get from clean and renewable resources rather than that we will get ALL our energy from those sources. It might be better to focus on ensuring that new buildings will achieve maximum energy efficiency. Trying to upgrade all existing buildings in the country might be beyond our ability.

There are other goals that sound extreme but are modified the phrase "as much as technologically feasible" which makes the goal more realistic and achievable. These include: "removing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing and industry as much as is technologically feasible," "to remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible," "to remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector as much as is technologically feasible."

Other goals might sound extreme but I think they are just GOOD goals to shoot for: guaranteeing everyone access to clean water and healthy food, and cleaning up hazardous waste sites, for example.

Overall we have big, sweeping, ambitious goals here. Some of them we likely cannot achieve, some of them we can, but working for all of them, whether we can achieve them or not will move us in the right direction.

Anyway, that's it for the second "Resolved." Next week we will look at the third "Resolved."

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The "Hearing the Falconer" Library

Books for Independent Thinkers

Moderates: The Vital Center of American Politics, from the Founding to Today

The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made It

Unapologetically Moderate: My Search for the Rational Center in American Politics

The Deliberate Moderate: Influencing From the Middle

Eisenhower: The White House Years

The Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison

Lincoln

Reflections of a Radical Moderate

Washington: A Life

The Reluctant Republican: My Fight for the Moderate Majority

Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life

Theodore Roosevelt: A Life

The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides

Beyond Red and Blue: How Twelve Political Philosophies Shape American Debates

Truman

Hearing the Falconer #32 ~ 12-April-2019 ~ Should We Condemn Trump for Keeping Children in Cages?

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world....
from The Second Coming, William Butler Yeats, 1919

The middle of the road is all of the usable surface.
The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

**********
12-April-2019: Should We Condemn Trump for "Putting Children in Cages?"
Are They Cages or Chain-Link Enclosures?
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As political moderates we strive to avoid the extremes. Failing to condemn evil is too extreme in one direction. Condemning behavior that is NOT evil is too extreme in the other direction. As political moderates and independent thinkers we need to stay focused on condemning truly evil behavior and not get distracted by other behavior, however dramatic, that is not truly evil.

So let's think about the separation of children from their parents along the Mexican border last year, and the way those children were subsequently held in cages or, as defenders call them, chain-link enclosures.

Trump has ended his policy of separating children from their parents and I hope that policy will not be restarted. As we look back at the terrible time when that policy was in effect, should we criticize Trump more for separating children from their parents, more for holding the children in cages, or both?

In a world increasingly shrill with hyper-partisans trying to persuade us they are right and good and anyone who disagrees with them is wrong and evil, we need to think for ourselves, and think clearly. So let's think about these two issues: separating children from their parents, and holding children in cages.

First, should we criticize Trump for separating children from parents at the border? Since most of us consider the family to be a sacred institution, the vital foundation of any society, an institution uniquely deserving of respect and governmental protection, there seems little doubt the answer is absolutely YES, we SHOULD criticize Trump for separating children from their parents.

There are some extreme cases where parents and children need to be separated, but when families are requesting asylum that is NOT one of those extreme cases. Even if a family crosses the border illegally without requesting asylum we should follow Democrat presidential candidate Julian Castro's suggestion and treat that as a civil violation rather than a crime, and keep the children with their parents.

So, separating children from their parents IS an atrocity and should be condemned. But what about keeping children in cages?

Let's analyze this issue by considering a couple of hypothetical questions.

If Trump separated children from their parents and kept them in 5-star hotels, would that be OK? That would still be an atrocity right? The horrible thing is separating children from their parents. No matter how well you treat the children after that, no matter where you house the children after that, the horrible thing has already happened.

Now let's think about a different hypothetical question: If the administration suddenly had thousands of children to watch over, and keep safe, would it be all right to keep them in cages or chain-link enclosures? If thousands of unaccompanied minors came across the border and we needed safe places to keep them that would prevent them from wandering off and getting lost, stop potentially bad adults from getting easy access to them, and allow us to easily keep an eye on them to make sure they are OK, wouldn't chain-link enclosures, or "cages," make a lot of sense?

By thinking about these hypothetical questions I think we can see that the BIG problem at the border, the REAL atrocity, is separating children from their parents. If we change the subject to how the children were housed after they were separated we are actually letting Trump off the hook for the terrible evil he perpetrated.

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The "Hearing the Falconer" Library

Books for Independent Thinkers

Moderates: The Vital Center of American Politics, from the Founding to Today

The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made It

Unapologetically Moderate: My Search for the Rational Center in American Politics

The Deliberate Moderate: Influencing From the Middle

Eisenhower: The White House Years

The Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison

Lincoln

Reflections of a Radical Moderate

Washington: A Life

The Reluctant Republican: My Fight for the Moderate Majority

Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life

Theodore Roosevelt: A Life

The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides

Beyond Red and Blue: How Twelve Political Philosophies Shape American Debates

Truman

Hearing the Falconer #31 ~ 8-April-2019 ~ The Green New Deal: Part 6

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world....
from The Second Coming, William Butler Yeats, 1919

The middle of the road is all of the usable surface.
The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

**********
8-April-2019: The Green New Deal, Part 6
House Resolution 109: The Green New Deal
**********

From news reports I have gotten the impression the Green New Deal is too extreme. Let's take a look at it and find out for ourselves.

House Resolution 109 has the title “Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal.”

This resolution starts with 7 “Whereas's” and then moves into 4 “Resolved's.” Recently we looked at the sixth and seventh "whereas's." Now let's look at the first "Resolved."

The first "Resolved" calls for the United States to achieve a variety of goals including: to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, to invest in industry and infrastructure, and to stop, prevent, and repair the oppression of "frontline and vulnerable communities."

Other goals include a sustainable environment, and access for all Americans to clean air and water, healthy food, and nature,

Yet another goal is "to create millions of good, high-wage jobs and ensure prosperity and economic security for all people of the United States."

This "Green New Deal" resolution is very high level and does not go into details. I have to admit, so far I like the ideas I am seeing. To make sure this project does not become too extreme I think we will have to see and analyze the details. It could BECOME too extreme or it could become the greatest government drive since The New Deal and the greatest accomplishment since putting human beings on the moon.

Anyway, that's it for the first "Resolved." Next time we will look at the second "Resolved."

**********

The "Hearing the Falconer" Library

Books for Independent Thinkers

Moderates: The Vital Center of American Politics, from the Founding to Today

The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made It

Unapologetically Moderate: My Search for the Rational Center in American Politics

The Deliberate Moderate: Influencing From the Middle

Eisenhower: The White House Years

The Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison

Lincoln

Reflections of a Radical Moderate

Washington: A Life

The Reluctant Republican: My Fight for the Moderate Majority

Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life

Theodore Roosevelt: A Life

The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides

Beyond Red and Blue: How Twelve Political Philosophies Shape American Debates

Truman

Hearing the Falconer #30 ~ 7-April-2019 ~ Should College Be Free?

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world....
from The Second Coming, William Butler Yeats, 1919

The middle of the road is all of the usable surface.
The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

**********
7-April-2019: Should College Be Free?
How Democrats Want to Make College Affordable
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As a political moderate I believe that if college education is so expensive that many people cannot afford it, or if it leaves many people under many years of high debt, that is a problem for our society that hurts all of us. On the other hand, I think that making college tuition-free, or even debt-free, is going too far in the other direction.

The first problem with free college for everyone is that we probably can't afford it. As Democratic candidate Amy Klobuchar said "If I was a magic genie and could give that to everyone and afford it, I would." But she can't.

I guess I even disagree with Amy on WISHING we could do that. Even if I was a magic genie I wouldn't make college free. There is enough conservative blood in my veins to make me think everyone should WORK for the good things in life. Everyone should PAY for the good things in life. And for something as good and as important as college education, I think everyone should be willing to take on some debt. I don't want people thinking they can get stuff for free and I don't want people thinking they should never take on debt to go after a great opportunity of future benefit.

On the the other hand, I have enough liberal blood in my veins to think that we should help people who need help and try to get everyone who WANTS a college education into school.

I think the moderate position on this issue is: You have to work some reasonable number hours per week to pay for your college. You have to contribute some reasonable amount of money to pay for your college. You even have to take on some reasonable amount of debt to pay for your college. You have to do all those things because that is what SUCCESSFUL people do and you need to learn how to be successful. BUT, when you have done all those things, and you still can't afford college, THEN society will step in and give you the help you need to make it through. We won't leave anyone behind.

I don't think the government should give handouts to citizens - except for those who are truly unable to work. What I want is for government to PARTNER with citizens and to lend a hand.

**********

The "Hearing the Falconer" Library

Books for Independent Thinkers

Moderates: The Vital Center of American Politics, from the Founding to Today

The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made It

Unapologetically Moderate: My Search for the Rational Center in American Politics

The Deliberate Moderate: Influencing From the Middle

Eisenhower: The White House Years

The Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison

Lincoln

Reflections of a Radical Moderate

Washington: A Life

The Reluctant Republican: My Fight for the Moderate Majority

Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life

Theodore Roosevelt: A Life

The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides

Beyond Red and Blue: How Twelve Political Philosophies Shape American Debates

Truman